REDFERN: Under the stained-glass light of St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, the spirit of Father Edward “Ted” Kennedy (1931-2005) was unmistakably present on Sunday, May 18, as hundreds gathered to mark 20 years since the death of the beloved priest and social justice advocate.
The occasion was both solemn and celebratory – a liturgy of remembrance that echoed the values Fr Ted lived by: compassion, conscience, and a radical solidarity with the poor and dispossessed.
Presiding over the Mass was Jesuit priest Fr Frank Brennan, whose homily offered both a tribute and a challenge. He spoke warmly of Fr Ted’s enduring legacy – his embrace of Aboriginal people, his prophetic witness against injustice, and his vision of a church grounded in humility and inclusion. Brennan drew from Pope Francis’ encyclicals on creation (Laudato Si’) and the call for a church of the poor (Evangelii Gaudium), linking Ted’s grassroots ministry in Redfern to a global gospel imperative.
But it was no uncritical eulogy. Brennan, with characteristic candour, lamented the Church’s ongoing failures – particularly its hesitance to pursue justice for women. “Ted would want us to be brave,” he said. “To speak plainly. To keep pushing the Church toward genuine communion.”
The parish community responded with grace and hospitality that many described as “quintessentially Redfern” – friendly, unpolished and deeply human. Songs, prayers and heartfelt tributes flowed alongside quiet gestures of welcome and remembrance. Musician Peter Kearney’s original song for Ted, performed with pianist Kevin Hunt, moved many to tears: “You were always there, Father Ted.”
Former federal minister Linda Burney, a long-time supporter of Kennedy’s work, was present as an honoured guest. Her quiet presence reflected the depth of connection between Kennedy’s Redfern and the broader movement for Indigenous justice. Behind the altar, the enduring words of Pope John Paul II (Alice Springs, November 29, 1986) – “For thousands of years you, the Aboriginal people, have lived in this land with a culture that endures to this day” – remained a sacred backdrop to the proceedings.
Ecumenical ties were honoured too, with representatives from South Sydney Uniting Church present, a reminder of decades-long collaboration between communities of faith committed to justice and peace.
Fr Ted Kennedy’s vision of a church shaped by conscience continues to inspire, especially through his revered book Who is Worthy? His legacy – as a friend of social worker Mum Shirl, a supporter of the arts, an ally for LGBT people, and a fierce critic of exclusion – was alive in every ritual moment and remembered story.
What remained most palpable was joy. Not a saccharine optimism, but a defiant, gospel-rooted joy in the face of resistance (reactionary forces both ecclesiastical and political). A joy in community. A joy in truth. A joy in honouring one who lived, as someone whispered, “so close to the ground, and so close to God”.
